Front Street is transforming again. This time it is a place where chaos and creativity
collaborate to create an exciting arts and culture community. The transformation is
already underway, as it has been for a few years. The plan is to become a well known
regional center, a destination, a reason to exit the highway when passing through
Dayton. This time it’s deliberate. It’s being done on purpose and with purpose.
Transformation is nothing new in these downtown buildings on Front Street just east of
Keowee Street. This building complex has been near the center of previous changes,
some large and some small, some deliberate and some not. It went through several
transitions in the last century and was a landmark in the century before that. In the
decades after the Civil War Dayton was a leader in the development of large scale
manufacturing, much of it was powered by water and Front Street was central. In fact,
the short street we call Front Street was originally a waterway, part of a canal 200 miles
long. The water powered manufacturing that employed hundreds of workers and
defined the city as a distinctive environment. Dayton was, and is, a city of invention.
Currently, there is a vision of art from the working artists at Front Street being shown all
over the world. That sort of thing happened here before, when Mercantile Corporation
had a contract with the US Postal Service to produce all their printed materials. Artwork
from that era undoubtedly found its way to every city and town on the planet.
Worldwide art is happening again. Up on the second floor the “Divisible” art space is the
only US gallery involved in a global collaboration known as New Modern. Other
member galleries are in Kiev, Tokyo, Berlin, Sydney, and Copenhagen.
Not every transformation at Front Street was deliberate. Over the course of the past
century plus, some things just happened. The skateboard movement took root at Front
Street. Alien Workshop, still a leader in the design of high quality skateboards, was at
the center of a community of skateboarders that made a home of the Front Street
Buildings. And that was a transformation too, as the hippie commune mindset faded,
leaving paintings on the floor, songs in the air and political slogans on the walls. There
was prior politics at Front Street too. Mercantile’s workforce was mostly women and
there is a political history and a sense of the suffrage movement still in the building.
There is vibrant energy in these buildings. It manifests as a community of artists who
support one another. It is exciting. “The biggest thrill is collaborating,” says Richard
Lundin. He is the owner and property manager, but he also sets the tone and oversees
the vision. Front Street has a big city vibe. It is the sort of place you hear about in New
York, Chicago, Seattle. And it works at many levels. Mike Elsass is a well known Front
Street artist. His work is unique, paint on steel and it is shown in galleries in New York,
Los Angeles, Chicago, New Mexico. Scott D.U. Gibbs is an internationally renowned
artist who creates intricate, vibrant images that invite scrutiny. Both of these artists
create their works in studios at Front Street. There are many other artists, some just getting started on their art lives, others comfortable in their working groove. There are craft people who do custom woodwork or furniture repair. New directions are also emerging. MarYSoul studio thinks of art as an experience. There are sound baths and Reiki treatments available. One small gallery hosts monthly music events. A larger
gallery features changing exhibitions and serves as a meeting place for arts groups. It
is not often that you can stop in to an art studio to see works in progress, but that is
what Front Street is about.
It’s a working environment but there is always a party on the First Friday and Saturday
of the month. The galleries are open and there is music in the hallways.
“Everybody is welcome here.” Richard Lundin says. There are elegant gallery spaces
here, and dirty old workshops. The patrons include art dealers and collectors as well as
people just looking for something new. Admission is free and you can’t see it all in an
evening. “It’s part of that authenticity of friendship. We keep the authenticity of the
buildings. The old elevators, the old boilers, part of the canal is still here.”
Richard grew up in a family business in Chicago doing auto repair, but not just any
autos. They worked on Bentleys and Jaguars, so he knows about fine objects and
elegance. He’s a hands-on guy. He does a lot of repair work on the buildings himself.
He left a career as a financial analyst in the Chicago real estate world - with offices on
Michigan Avenue - to lead the way at Front Street. He’s been in an ownership role
since 2020, encouraging artists, maintaining order and sorting out the zoning and fire
department relationships. It’s all good now. The transformation is taking shape.
There is an anniversary coming in September. A big party is planned. Everyone is
invited.
Insight and information is available now at www.Frontstreet.art